The art of stylish touring: Insight Vacations

The art of stylish touring: Insight Vacations

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House of Travel

Lynne Fookes and her husband Tim have travelled with Insight Tours four times over six years, their last trip being the Majesty of the Rockies & Alaskan Cruise – Luxury Gold Tour. So what is it about Insight that keeps this duo coming back for more?

1. What were your main reasons for picking this particular trip?
A number of things, but notably the length of time away. We also liked the places visited in both Canada and Alaska, the periods spent at each place and the ability to add on an Alaskan cruise.

2. What were the highlights?
Vancouver city itself, Butchart Gardens in Victoria, the overall Rockies’ landscape and the lakes were just amazing. Seeing the wildlife in their natural habitat was incredible; we actually saw a bear eating for his upcoming winter. The overnight stay at Emerald Lake in Canada’s Yoho National Park was a treat for both its landscape and accommodation.

3. What was the best thing you saw, did or partook in?
Butchart Gardens was a definite highlight. As part of the Insight tour we were able to enjoy breakfast at the gardens, and we were the first group to go in that morning.

4. What surprised you the most about this tour?
The variation in both the locations and accommodation was brilliant. For example, one night we stayed at the Sparkling Hills Resort in Vernon, another time we stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel in the pretty resort town of Banff. We were pleasantly surprised by the diversity.

5. What did you enjoy the most?
Everything! Locations, accommodation and stunning views from our room each night. The dining choices we were given in Banff were amazing. A bonus with Insight is that the buses have WiFi, which is brilliant for keeping in touch with family back at home.

5. What advice would you give anyone thinking about a similar trip?
Go for it! This one’s a good length of time to be on tour, with lots of free time. Sometimes you’ll have the entire day to yourselves. It’s the perfect balance of organised travel and freedom to do as you please.

6. Who do you think would enjoy this kind of tour the most?
We think it would suit a very broad range of ages. We had passengers in their early 40s, all the way up to their early 80s on tour with us, and they all enjoyed the experience.

7. What was it about this tour that made you want to book another? Insight’s excellent service and organisation. Their Tour Directors are organised, knowledgeable and very personable; people who make your entire journey enjoyable. This tour was our fourth with Insight and we would not hesitate to go with them again.

8. Can you provide one coach travel hack/piece of advice for a seamless journey?
Each day the Tour Director would provide times and places for the journey the following day. Take a photo on your phone and then you’ve got a reference for later. Make sure (if time permits) that you travel to the starting point of your tour a day or so earlier to get over jet lag; you’ll be rested, refreshed, and above-all, ready! We’ve found this most helpful in the past. Vancouver was a beautiful city to wander around for a day or two.